#potato salad the tripod

[catfindr]

[pickalilywrites]

The alliance post rumbling celebrate the holidays + Levi's birthday fic request

thanks :)

happy birthday, old man

levi ackerman. canon compliant. 1349 words. read on ao3.

The small cottage that Levi has been living in has been decorated from ceiling to floor with festive decorations: holly and ivy, mistletoe and tinsel, paper stars and paper snowflakes. He’s never been one for festivities and had even told those damn kids that he didn’t need to do anything special, but they had insisted on coming over and covering his house with every ridiculous decoration they could find. He’s still not sure about the winter holiday that they’re about to be celebrating. It’s something that was introduced to Paradis after the island opened its borders, but the kids found it amusing that the holiday fell on Levi’s birthday. They’ve told him they’re gathering here to celebrate that strange new holiday, but he knows it’s only a guise for celebrating his birthday.  

“I have a headache just thinking about how much cleaning I’ll have to do later,” Levi mutters as he wheels himself around the house. He hates tinsel especially. It comes apart too easily and seems to get everywhere. He frowns as another thread of tinsel falls to the floor and tries to repress to pick it up immediately and chuck into the garbage bin.  

“Oh, don’t worry about that! Falco and I’ll be sure to clean everything up until everything sparkles and shines the way you like,” Gabi says. He refers to all of them as kids, but even Gabi and Falco are teenagers now. They tower above him and they’re sure to grow even more in these next few years. 

“I met as well just clean it myself then,” Levi says dryly. Gabi is far too impatient to clean anything thoroughly. Falco is only slightly more reliable and would probably do a half decent job if he weren’t always rushed by Gabi. Levi looks over at the blond boy who is hovering nervously over the tinsel that had been bothering him earlier. “If you really insist on it, then you can clean it up. Just don’t leave anything behind, Falco.”  

Falco jumps at the mention of his name and immediately snatches the tinsel off the ground. “Y-yes, sir!” he stammers. 

“Oh, stop teasing the poor boy,” Mikasa says, giving the retired captain a swat on the shoulder. She takes the tinsel from Falco’s hands and crumples it into her fist to throw away later. “Don’t bother about the mess. Everyone else will clean it later and you can grumble about what a poor job we did afterward.”  

“I can grumble about it now,” Levi says, but somebody grabs his wheelchair and begins wheeling him towards the dining table.  

“Can’t you take one day off to not grumble about things?” Jean laughs as he pushes Levi towards the head of the table. He takes a seat beside Levi and the others gather around.  

Everyone has come to celebrate: the remaining members of his last squad that had fought alongside him during the Rumbling, the Marleyan Warriors, and Gabi and Falco. The ones closest to him sit by his side while the soldiers from Marley sit further out. Onyankopon is on the other end of the table, adjusting the camera so that it captures everyone. In his hand is a remote shutter to take the photo. Once everything is in place, Onyankopon hurries over to an empty space beside Reiner Braun. 

“Is everyone ready? Smile for the camera!” he says and pauses for a moment before clicking the shutter in his hand.  

The shutter clicks as it takes a few photos and Onyankopon hurries back to the camera to roll up the wire of the remote shutter and fold up the tripod. The others begin chatting away while Historia and Connie help to carry the food from the kitchen to the table. It’s a far larger dinner than Levi had expected: a perfectly cooked turkey with crisp, golden skin, mashed potatoes and gravy, honey roasted ham, a color salad filled with fresh greens and thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and drizzled with vinaigrette, green bean casserole, buttery dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and corn pudding. It’s far too much for all of them to eat, but they’ll worry about the leftovers later. 

“I thought I recalled telling you that it wasn’t necessary to celebrate my birthday this year,” Levi says as everyone is polishing off their second plate. 

“Who says this is for you?” Pieck asks jokingly. They’re all still pretending that they care more about this new holiday where people give each other gifts even though none of them have brought a single present to Levi’s house. “We’re only here to celebrate the holiday. It just happens to be on your birthday.” 

“Do you really think you’re so important that we would gather here on your birthday?” Reiner teases.  

“I did offer to make your birthday a national holiday, but you refused,” Historia recalls. She leans over so that Levi can get a better look at the grin on her face. "Do you regret turning down my offer now?” 

“Knowing how much the Jaegerists despise us still, it’d probably make them hate the Captain even more,” Jean chuckles. 

“I’d be throwing eggs at his likeness with the rest of them,” Annie says before sipping her drink and her remark earns a few chuckles from their comrades around the table.  

It’s been a while since Levi has heard so much laughter at the table. It reminds him of his younger years. The people are different, but the laughter is the same. He still thinks about it sometimes, sitting around the table with his old squad or having a cup of tea with the other squad leaders. That was back in the day when they were fighting to stop the end of the world or die trying. As it turns out, the world didn’t end even when they thought it would and now here they are, back at this table swapping stories and laughing. Everything has come full circle.  

“By the way, Captain,” Armin says before passing a small package wrapped in parcel paper. It’s been a long time since the war has ended and yet he still refers to Levi by his old rank even though most of his other peers have dropped the formalities. “I know you said you didn’t want any gifts this year, but I couldn’t stop thinking that you’d like something small at least.”  

“I suppose I shouldn’t have expected you to keep following my orders after leaving the Scouting Legion, huh, Arlert?” Levi remarks dryly, and Armin cheeks flush a bright pink. Nonetheless, Levi accepts the package and tears off the wrapping carefully. He doesn’t expect to see a picture frame inside nor the detailed portrait that has been carefully placed inside.  

It’s a drawing of Levi and all his comrades, most of them fallen but some of them in the room with him now. The portrait is in black and white, drawn in graphite, and was conjured by a careful hand that can only belong to Jean Kirstein. The drawings of the fallen soldiers are not perfect. They don’t completely match the image of the comrades that still live in his memories, but they are similar enough that Levi can make out pieces of them that Kirstein has managed to coax out despite having never met them at all. 

“I wasn’t able to meet many of them, but their family members were very helpful in giving us descriptions,” Jean murmurs as they all watch Levi cautious, gauging the captain’s reaction. “We thought you might appreciate it, especially since you don’t have any photographs of it.”  

“Not bad, Kirstein,” Levi says finally, the sound of his voice breaking a heavy silence. He sets the framed drawing down in front of him and looks up at the comrades he has left. There are more of them than he thought would be here. Some of them he had never even anticipated himself allying himself with. “I might even hang this up.”  

At this, everyone cracks a smile. Mikasa reaches out to squeeze Levi’s shoulder. “We’re glad you like it,” she tells him. “Happy birthday, old man.”  

[eazy-group]

Easy Cajun Chicken One Pot Camping Pasta

New Post has been published on https://eazycamping.net/easy-cajun-chicken-one-pot-camping-pasta/

Easy Cajun Chicken One Pot Camping Pasta

Having a few super-fast Dutch oven camping recipes in your rotation makes it easy to put a fantastic dinner on the table even when you are away from your campsite for the entire day. This Cajun Chicken One Pot Camping Pasta has a mild spiciness that is balanced with a rich and velvety sauce.

Cajun Chicken One Pot Camping Pasta by CampingForFoodies

Psst we’re compensated…see our disclosures.

Prep To Make Quick Pasta Camp Meals

This is one of our camping dinner recipes that is fast to prep and cook … partially because it starts with pre-cooked chicken that you just need to slice and throw in the pan with the noodles. You’ll also need to cube a block of cream cheese and dice a jalapeno pepper. Clean-up is quick too when you make one pot camping meals.

Camp Cooking Tip: Pre-cooked meats make it fast to prepare easy camping meals so I keep a couple of simply-seasoned (salt, pepper and maybe a little garlic powder) grilled chicken breasts in my freezer so I can slice them for speedy meals that contain noodles or rice.

Methods Of Cooking Camp Meals In Individual Pots

This recipe is one of my really simple camping pasta recipes because you boil the farfalle in chicken broth and you don’t have to drain any liquid (unlike when you boil spaghetti in water and need to drain it.) For that reason, you need to use a vessel that is deep enough to handle the boiling liquid but not too wide that the farfalle is not submerged in the broth … and … has enough depth to handle the chicken and remaining ingredients in the recipe. A standard-depth 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven is the perfect vessel size for cooking this meal.

If you are making this as one of our campfire recipes, you’ll need to get your fire going in order to cook over coals and you can either use a tripod for hanging the oven over the heat or use a campfire grate so you can set the oven directly on the grate. Alternatively, you can use charcoal briquettes that will be placed under the oven.

If you don’t want to bother with getting a camp fire going, it is even faster to make this as one of our camp stove recipes. Just make sure you are cooking on a level surface when boiling the bow ties.

Steps To Make Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Step 1. Prepare your ingredients as directed.

Step 2. Prepare your heat source and cooking equipment.

Step 3. Cook pasta in chicken broth. You’ll need to get the chicken broth boiling, then, you’ll add the farfalle and cook it until it is firm, not mushy. This should only take about 5-10 minutes. You won’t need to drain the liquid from the Dutch oven.

Step 4. Add remaining ingredients and heat through. You’ll turn the heat down a bit and then add the chicken, tomatoes, cream cheese, Cajun seasoning, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Everything is already cooked so you are just heating everything and waiting for the cream cheese to melt.

Step 5. Serve hot. It is not necessary but if you want to add a little fresh parsley to top this meal, it is a nice touch. Serve hot and enjoy.

Pairings For Single Dish Meals

To keep this dinner uncomplicated, I don’t serve anything else with it. If I want to get a little “fancy” I’ll also serve a basic side salad with a prepared dressing.

Recipes Similar To Creamy Cajun Chicken And Farfalle

We love warm and hearty winter camping recipes that taste great without a lot of effort.

Send me FREE camping tips!

I want “5 Secrets To Successful Camping Trips” plus weekly camping tips & recipes.

Try Dutch Oven Campfire Goulash for a hearty meal that includes Italian sausage, elbow macaroni, and Great Northern beans … it’ll warm you to your toes!

This Fork-Tender Beef Dutch Oven Campfire Stew has carrots and potatoes in a rich tomato and beef broth sauce.

If you have a little extra time and wine, you need to make drunken meatballs! They are so tender and flavorful! Try my recipe for Dutch Oven Spaghetti And Meatballs when you want to have a next-to-gourmet dinner on your camping trip in the great outdoors!

This One Pot Spaghetti features a red sauce with spicy sausage and thin spaghetti, and, it is on the table in about 30 minutes.

A few more options to consider … you can make a quick primavera by combining pasta and fresh vegetables … make your favorite old fashioned comfort food of tuna noodle casserole by boiling some shells and adding canned tuna … or just mix a pre-made jarred pesto with some linguini.

Print This Recipe

One Pot Creamy Cajun Chicken Camping Pasta Recipe

Kim Hanna

Camping For Foodies Dinner Camping Recipes: This easy camping pasta dish is cooked in one pot with a creamy Cajun sauce.

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner Camping Recipes

Cuisine Cajun

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 137 kcal

2 (32 oz) containers chicken broth

1 (16 oz) package farfalle pasta

2 pre-cooked chicken breasts halves, sliced thin

1 (14.5 oz) can fire roasted tomatoes

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened and cubed

1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning

1 small jalapeno pepper diced

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley optional

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

In a 12 inch cast iron Dutch oven, bring chicken broth to boil over high heat using a campfire, camp stove or RV stove for cooking.

Add the pasta and cook covered till al dente and still firm to the bite, about 5-10 minutes. Do not drain any liquid from the pot.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the chicken, tomatoes, cream cheese, Cajun seasoning, jalapeno, salt and pepper.

Cook covered till the chicken is heated through and cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and continue cooking until the sauce reaches your desired thickness, about 5-10 minutes total.

Top with fresh parsley, if desired, and serve hot.

Serving: 1gCalories: 137kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 24gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 135mgPotassium: 468mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.3gVitamin A: 938IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 1mg

More Yummy Camp Meals

Put a camp menu together for your next trip with easy and exciting recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert!

Source

[jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets]

Love Undercover - Ch 4

Title: Love Undercover

Fandom: CSI: Las Vegas

Pairing: Greg Sanders x Nick Stokes

Rating: Mature

Summary:  In part one of this series, Nick and Greg get sent on a special undercover mission by Grissom and Brass, an undercover mission as a couple at an all exclusive couples resort. Their mission is to find their targets and keep them safe while maintaining the illusion that they are a happily married couple, but they may end up finding more then they bargained for while at Lovers Lane Resort.

AO3

Masterlist 

*** My works are not to be posted on any sites without my permission! Please and thanks!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Chapter Four

    Once they were finished with the massages, both of them feeling amazing afterwards, they walked out with James and Oliver, and stood outside.

     The four of them stood silently in a group for a few minutes before James was the first one to speak, “Wow,” he said, pulling Oliver closer to him, “I feel great.”

     “I would be perfectly fine with a nap right now,” Greg sighed and leaned on Nick, “or another massage.”

     The four chuckled and Nick rubbed a hand up his back, “A promise is a promise, Darlin’.”

     “And I will be holding you to that,” Greg smiled and pushed himself closer to Nick, “so, would you guys like to join us for another activity?”

     “Sure,” Oliver reached into James’s back pocket and grabbed the itinerary, scanning it quickly, “instead of another activity, since we are all still so relaxed from the massages, why don't we walk one of the hiking trails?” 

     “Yeah,I'd love a walk,'' Nick tightened his arm around Greg’s waist and started making his way towards the trails with James and Oliver right beside them.

~~~~~~~~~~~

     They had been walking for just about an hour now, James and Oliver were slightly ahead of them, and Greg was starting to get used to the feeling of Nick's hand in his. The trail was peaceful, a nice breeze was blowing through keeping them cool, and he couldn't help but think how he would love to get used to this. To just being with Nick… loving Nick.

     “Hey, Greg.” he hummed and turned to Nick, snapping out of his thoughts. “How come you picked tomorrow as our anniversary date? Not that I'm mad, but I was just wondering why specifically tomorrow?” 

     “Well,” he drawled with a slight blush creeping up his cheeks, “if you think about it, in a way, it kind of is.”

     Nick stopped walking for a second, tilting his head as he turned back and continued walking, “What do you mean?”

     “October 6, 2000, three years ago. It was my first day on the job in the labs, and-”

      “The first day we met,” Nick nodded and laughed, “I remember seeing you for the first time. You were late, very classy for your first day of work, and came barreling into the break room looking for Grissom.”

     Greg laughed so hard he nearly snorted, “And I found him.”

     “Oh, you found him alright,” Nick had to stop walking, turning to face Greg with a huge smile on his face, “with your lab coat on backwards, clipboard upside down, and somehow you had managed to get cream cheese from your bagel in your hair. It was the best day of my life.”

     “And the worst day of mine!” Greg slapped his arm playfully, “I thought I was going to die of embarrassment. And Grissom just walked over to me and picked the cream cheese out of my hair, then walked away.”

     “Oh,” Nick was nearly doubled over laughing now, “oh, it was hilarious, but also very cute.”

     “Cute?” 

     “Yeah,” Nick settled a bit, his laughs tuning into a light chuckle, “it was very cute.”

     Greg eyed him for a moment before adding with a smirk, “You know, Nick, that's not the first time you've complimented me on this trip.”

     Nick raised his brows, then moved closer and took Greg’s other hand, holding them between them, “Well, Greg, I-”

     “Hey, guys!” They both turned and saw Oliver waving them down, stopping Nick from finishing whatever he was about to say. “Come and take a picture, James is setting up his tripod.”

     “Sure thing, guys,” Nick waved back and then led Greg over, leaving him curious about the end of that sentence.

     “All set,” James said as they reached them and they stood in front of the camera, “should we do a nice one first?”

     They all nodded and stood close together, both couples wrapped together for a nice picture. Next up was a funny one in which James suddenly dipped Oliver as the shutter was going off and Nick grabbed Greg for a nuggie. Next up, was something a little harder for the two of them though.

     “How about a kiss picture?!” Oliver clapped his hands together and that was the exact moment that Greg’s heart decided to relocate to his feet.

     He turned into Nick with wide panicked eyes and whispered, “What do we do?!”

     “We knew this might be a possibility,” Nick tried to calm him with soothing hands on his shoulders, “and I don't really see a way around it.”

     “Maybe we can think up an excuse, what if I tell him I have a cold sore?”

     “I…” Nick looked at Greg with what Greg could only describe as hurt, “Is it really that bad to even think about kissing me?”

     Greg was speechless, all he could do was choke out half a syllable. That's not what he had meant at all, in fact, he had assumed he was doing Nick the favor by offering up an excuse.

     “You guys ready?” James asked, arms around Oliver, “Once you're good I'll set the camera.”

     Nick sighed then, and turned away from Greg, “I don't think we can do this one guys, Greg’s got a col-”

     “No! No, were good to go,” Nick looked to Greg with a raised brow, “cold sores all cleared up now, Honey, no need to worry.”

     “Alright,” James said, “five seconds starting now,” and set the camera then got into position with Oliver.

     Nick turned to Greg and held his hands out to rest on his waist, but they ended up just hovering there instead, until Greg took them and placed them where they belonged. 

     “I thought…” he began, but Greg stopped him and put his hands around Nick's neck, pulling him a bit closer.

     “That's not what I meant,” he shook his head, playing with the hairs at the nape of Nick's neck, “not even close.”

     And then he pulled Nick in all the way. Their lips pressed together in a perfect kiss. Soft, sweet, slow. They fit together like a puzzle, like soul mates, and that's exactly what it felt like. It felt like this is where they were both meant to be, where they belonged. 

     They heard the camera go off somewhere in the distance but found they really didn't want to pull apart. Nick instead pulled Greg closer, and Greg sighed against Nick's lips giving him the perfect chance to slip his tongue into his mouth. Greg reciprocated, tilting his head to allow Nick better access, and joining Nick's tongue with his own in a slow waltz. 

     “Hello?!” Giggles from behind Nick had them both slowly coming back to reality, and much to their disliking, pulling apart to turn to the other couple with sheepish looks, “Guys, I know it's your anniversary but whoo, I didn't think it could get any hotter than it already was in Vegas, but I have been proven wrong.”

     The two just shyly walked over to look over Oliver's shoulder as he sifted through the pictures they just took, they were great pictures they had to admit, but both of them had a sweet spot for the last one in particular.

     “Hey, if I give you my number, can you send me those?” Nick asked.

     “Yeah, definitely.”

     After the quick exchange of numbers, the couples were off again. But this time instead of holding his hand out for Greg to take, he wrapped his arm tightly around him and pulled him right up against his side, Greg settling in with his hand on Nick's chest.

~~~~~~~~~~~

     The two couples spent the rest of the day together, finding that they did all get along quite well. By the time dinner came they were all starving and couldn't wait to get their hands on whatever food the resort was serving them tonight. 

     They were all pleased to see that it was set up like a buffet and there was so much to choose from. Soups, pastas, and salads were set up at one end, and on the other it seemed tonight's main course was roast beef, veggies, and mashed potatoes. Greg's mouth was watering just at the smell of the food hall.

     “If you guys wanna grab us a table, James and I can grab some plates?” 

     Greg nodded, “Yeah, we can do that.”

     “Okay, be back in a minute, Sweetie.” That was a new one, Greg thought, but didn't have much time to think about it when his face was being lifted by Nick’s fingers on his chin, and brought in for another lingering kiss. 

     When Nick pulled back he stayed just a breath away from Greg’s lips for a moment, seeming to be contemplating the situation, before just smiling and leaving with James.

     Greg shook himself back to reality and turned to join Oliver in the hunt for an open table. It took a few minutes, but they finally managed to find one near the back and hoped that Nick and James would be able to find them when they came back with the food. 

     They sat facing the buffet so they could keep an eye out for them coming back, and Oliver decided to ask, “So, how did you and Nick get together?”

     “Uh…” Shit, they hadn't exactly narrowed down that story yet. “We-we met at college.”

     “You're a vet tech and Nick’s an accountant right?” Greg nodded stiffly, “Did you have a class together? Mutual friend set you up?”

     “Uh, yes! Yeah, a friend of ours set us up, his name is Gil. Actually,” Greg chuckled thinking he might as well use it cuz it did technically happen, “When I first met Nick, I had cream cheese in my hair. I was late for a class earlier that morning and somehow managed to get cream cheese from my bagel all over myself.”

     “What a cute story!”

     Greg nodded and ran a hand through her hair, “How about you and James? How did you two meet?”

     “Well, it wasn't as cute as you and Nick. It was as simple as our parents knew each other through work. James’s dad is a judge and my mom’s a cop,” he shrugged, “last year my mom was working a case that involved some old convicts James's dad had put away in the past. Once the case was over my mom invited James's family over for dinner as a thank you for helping her out, and we started talking, and soon after started seeing each other. Pretty simple.”

     “Still cute though,” he smiled.

     “Yall talking about me?” Nick asked as he and James found the table, and placed their trays down.

     “Actually we were,” Greg smiled up at Nick as he placed a full plate in front of him then sat down beside him, “I was telling Oliver about how we met at college.”

     Nick laughed and reached up to run a hand through Greg's hair, “The cream cheese thing?”

     Greg was so hoping Nick would jump to the same story as him, and thankfully they seemed to be on the same wavelength, “Yep!”

     “Yeah,” Nick sighed as he ran a thumb over Greg’s cheek then pulled away to grab his fork, “it was the moment I fell in love with him.”

     “That's so sweet,” James answered, pulling up his own chair, “it was also love at first sight for me and Oliver. Thankfully our parents worked together for a few months or else we would have never met.”

     “And thankfully our friend Gil was kind enough to set us up,” Greg said and leaned in towards Nick, “or else we never would have gotten together.”

     “Well, I love the fact that we are all a bunch of sappy cheese balls,” Oliver laughed, grabbing his fork, “but I'm starving, so we can pick up this lovely conversation later, and let's dig in. This looks like it's going to be amazing!”

     The other three agreed and very quickly joined Oliver in eating what was probably the best meal they had ever had.

~~~~~~~~~~~

     The resort had finished the night by serving ice cream for dessert, and once they were full the two couples left the hall together and walked back towards their cabins. 

     The evening cooled the temperature a little bit, giving the four boys a little relief from the regular Vegas heat. Grasshoppers and crickets could be heard playing their songs under the almost full moon, and they couldn't help thinking that it was the perfect end to a great day. 

     “Well, this is us,” James said, stopping them in front of one of the cabins.

     “What do you guys say to spending the day together again tomorrow?” Oliver asked, a hopeful hint to his tone.

     “We’d love to,” Greg smiled, thankful that they seemed to like them, making staying close to them for the detail easier then he had hoped, “you have Nick’s number, so why don't you give us a call when you're ready tomorrow and we can chose a few activities for the day?”

     “Sounds like a plan.” They both waved and James held the door open for Oliver as they went inside. “Good night, guys.”

     “Good night.” They answered back, and once the two were safely inside their cabin, Nick and Greg made their way to theirs.

     They walked inside, exhausted in more ways than one from the day's events. Greg let go of Nick's hand and walked over to the bed, plopping back on it with a sigh, while Nick hovered by the door shifting on his feet. 

     “Hey, Greg.” He hummed, not lifting himself from the bed. “I uh… I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable today with the whole kiss thing. You didn't have to-”

     “No, Nick,” he shot up this time, “I wasn't uncomfortable, actually I… I was more worried that you would be the one who was uncomfortable, because I wanted to. Kiss you, I mean.”

     “You did?” Nick perked up and moved away from the doorway.

     “I… yeah, I did,” Greg rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, “and since we're being honest, it's not the first time I've wanted to.”

     “I…” Nick was suddenly flushed and only able to stutter, so Greg stood and slowly walked over to him.

     “And if I'm being really honest,” he said, reaching Nick and running a hand up his chest to rest at the base of his neck, “I want to do it again.”

     Nick stood stunned, he wasn't sure how long he was like that, but it was long enough that Greg started pulling back with a horrified look on his face. He managed to snap out of it and grabbed Greg by the waist before he could get too far away from him, and pulled him back flush against his chest. He bumped his nose against Greg’s, closing his eyes with a sigh as he said, “I can help with that,” and leaned down to kiss Greg with as much passion as he could muster.

     One step at a time Nick slowly walked them backwards as they continued kissing, never once breaking apart, and laid Greg gently back on the bed. He shifted them up to the pillows and laid them on their sides. They continued kissing, exploring, eventually ridding each other of their shirts, pants soon to follow. They laid there in their boxers, kissing and touching long into the night, before eventually they couldn't keep their eyes open any longer, and they fell asleep wrapped together, lips still touching in a gentle kiss.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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Tags: @panchostokes @greggonpancho @cadenceh2o

[eyes-like-a-pisces]

Tagged by @bowiepop and @confusion-in-the-sea-of-sorrow. Pretty interesting questions, thank you for tagging me :)

Favorite snack?

Potato chips

Favorite place to go on vacation?

Anywhere near water

What’s a song that makes you dance immediately?

If Im in a mood for dancing I could even start dancing to a ringtone tbh. Recently I was joking about making a club with tool's music and somehow I found their music amazing to dance to? Other tunes that come to my mind are Everything Counts by Depeche Mode, Toxic by Britney Spears, Head like a hole by NIN, You spin me round (like a record) by Dead or Alive, Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush (could you resist trying to dance this choreography?) and all this cheesy guilty pleasure songs that awake your inner stripper, like Cherry Pie by Warrant

Tea or coffee? And what kind?

Earl Gray tea

Do you play an instrument?

Guitar

What’s your favorite type of personality?

I like people who are open minded, nonjudgemental, so you can be yourself around them. Goofballs and people that feel deeply and who are just sincere and kind.

Favorite comedian?

myself

Gummy candy or chocolate?

chocolate, Im not a fan of gummy, jelly things

What did you want to be when you grew up as a kid?

A nun or any kind of artist/performer

What’s your favorite physical feature about yourself?

Let's say my waist this time

When was the last time you watched a show or movie on TV?

Few days ago I was watching Big Little Lies

Unpopular opinion:

I think F.R.I.E.N.D.S, the tv show, is overrated. Im not saying It's really bad, It has some charm, but It's just a McDonalds of tv series.

Are you scared of bugs?

Depends of what kind of a bug

Cats or cats?

Kittens

Are you allergic to any foods?

As I remember Im slightly allergic to coca cola and chocolate, but we are here for a good time, not for a long time, am I right ladies?

Does the description of your star sign match your personality?

Yes, Im probably the most classic pisces I know. I also feel like my aquarius dom affects me and generally my whole chart make sense to me.

Favorite type of accent?

Idk, british, scotish, Irish? I love accents and I love to immitate them

Name the first song that comes to your head!

Kozmic blues by Janis Joplin, cause Im listening to It

Who is the sexiest famous person to you?

Jerry Cantrell around Dirt/Tripod era (what a surprise)

Cake or pie?

Cake

When was the last time you read an entire book?

Gosh, I don't remember. I start books and don't finish them. Few months ago.

Favorite junk food?

Pizza

Do you like your height?

My height used to be one of the biggest insecurities of mine, at some point I was even bullied for being so tiny for my age, but, thank goth, middle school is over, I grew a few cm since that time and height is not a big problem to me anymore. In fact, It feels like being short is just a part of my personality at this point, I don't see It as a flaw and Im not even trying to be taller as I am (I rarely wear heels and stuff). Plus my male friends want to carry me on their hands all the time and I find It funny. But there are days when I wished I was tall, hot model (instead of being a short hot model)

Apples or oranges?

Depends

What’s your favorite personality trait in a person?

Good heart

Do you like salad?

Not a huge fan, depends.

What person inspires you the most?

One of my friends and Demri Parrott I think? It's hard to describe why or in what way and I don't glorify all her behaviours, but somehow she does.

What is a song that makes you cry? 

Shame in you by Alice in chains

I tag: @aleksandroskaya @g0thbride @radiant-aether @l0w-budget

[kylie-gets-fit]

New Zealand

Five years ago, I had the chance of a lifetime that opened up a door to many more chances of a lifetime - interning at Disney. One of those chances was meeting my friend, Nola, a Tongan girl from New Zealand. We connected so well while in the states and I promised her one day I would go visit her in her country to experience her culture - well I keep my promises and it took your girl 5 years but I visited her! There were things I will never get to experience again, and sights I’d never get to see again. Let me tell you, it was a once in a lifetime experience - even if I get to go back.

I flew from Los Angeles to New Zealand on Fiji Airways, with a layover in Fiji. Apparently this is moreso of a budget airline for people in Oceania, but I was impressed. My first flight wasn’t the best as I was in a center seat and had an old man not only with his elbow in my seat, but also his foot under the seat in front of mine where my feet should be! After that rough 11 hour journey though, I had window seats for all remaining flights and the flights were so much better! There was music and movies available on the plane (I didn’t know this okay?) and the Fijian people were so nice.Even in the Fiji airport they all greeted me with “Bula!” which is their way of greeting people, much like the Hawaiian “Aloha”. While in that airport I met quite a few people from New Zealand and they were so nice and very helpful. My second flight was to New Zealand where I went through customs for the first time in my life. I don’t know why I was so nervous but it was pretty much a breeze. Just declare anything you have and go through the process.

I’ll discuss the food there since it was the first thing I noticed after leaving the airport - I felt like I hadn’t left America. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, KFC, Carl’s Jr., and soon to be Taco Bell everywhere! My struggle was finding gluten free meals - fries were a huge part of my diet! Nola’s family threw a barbecue and I was thinking since they are islanders there would be a roasted pig and lots of tropical fruit....burgers, wings, sausages, potato salad, and rolls! Their ice cream is so delicious though! I tried kiwi ice cream and it’s way better than it sounds. Their strawberry ice cream also has real strawberries.

One thing I didn’t mind there was how accessible the beach was. We went to three different beaches while I was there and each one was magical in it’s own way. The first beach we visited was Piha Beach and that was my favorite. Let me tell you, I will never see a place more magical. Our drive to the beach was long, and while everyone else was saying, “are we there yet?” I didn’t mind because the drive was gorgeous! There were so many trees and so much green and I don’t see that at home ever!

Once we got there, we parked the most beautiful, green forest and had a walk ahead. I couldn’t believe my eyes at how gorgeous this place was, and I hadn’t even seen half of it yet! Once we got to walking, not only did we get to enjoy the green view, but also a stream that I assumed led to the ocean. I wanted to get a photo in the water with the green in the background so I asked Nola to take a photo. The sand was black and the water was warm! Once we got to the beach, I knew I needed to take in every moment and every little bit that my eyes could see. The green grass and trees behind me, the black sand below me, the heavenly sky above me, and the powerful ocean in front of me. I will never see something that magical ever again and I will never forget!

There were many differences in New Zealand I picked up on that I wish we utilized here in the states. Without getting into politics, guns are outlawed there. I can tell you I always think about the chance of being caught up in a mass shooting in the States. While it is possible for someone to buy a gun black market there, I did not once feel worried while there. People don’t make big scenes there when they don’t get their way. And the most eye opening thing of all was how they take care of one another. We were in a drive thru and there was a man on the side begging for money. Her family began scrambling for coins and together we probably gave him about $5-8. We also went to a restaurant that had a cooler in the front with food in it. When we first walked in I assumed the food was for sale, but as we walked out I saw a sign that read “Free Food for People in Need, One Box Per Person Please”. I wish we had more of that here.

And of course, the reason I went there - to meet Nola’s family and learn about her culture, both Tongan and New Zealand. There were a couple things that I didn’t particularly agree with - like how women are required to keep their legs covered above the knee, but for the most part I saw the beauty in their culture.

They are very emotional people, and I wish that is something the American culture had. What first woke me up to this was visiting the cemetery (yep, we did that). Her family had recently lost her grandmother and unexpectedly, her cousin was violently killed. Instead of staying quiet, these people express what they are feeling - a lot. They talked about it so much, it would normally make me feel uncomfortable. But I realized something. They aren’t having meltdowns, they aren’t crying behind closed doors; wow, this is what it looks like to grieve death in a healthy way. We went to the cemetery after church on Sunday to visit them. How do they visit their deceased loved ones? They keep lawn chairs at their graves, pop down on a seat, and talk to them. About life, about everything. They even introduced me to them. You may think this is strange, but I found it beautiful. They weren’t the only people doing this either. There were people all around of all cultures in New Zealand doing this.

The Tongans are very formal in everything they do. They all get dressed up for church. I was lent a “kiekie”, somewhat like a woven grass skirt, to wear over my dresses for the week.For New Year’s I thought they had found a “kofu” or dress that happened to fit me, but it turned out that Nola’s aunt thought it would fit and said I could have it if it fit! We brought in 2019 in church. Church was spoken in Tongan, so I am not sure what they were saying. Once we left church, we went to Nola’s grandfather’s house where her whole family met to honor him. Everyone crammed into his small living room. At least it looked small with about 30 of us in there! Her grandfather, weak and brittle, started the discussion, getting very emotional. Then they all were speaking in Tongan taking turns to talk. Some were crying, some were laughing. I had no idea what was going on but just enjoying the fact that I got to witness this. The Nola’s sister Tina turned to me and said “would you like to say something?”. I was caught completely off guard. I can’t speak Tongan and had no clue what they were discussing. They all told me I could say anything I wanted regarding the new year. I improved some statement about how I was grateful for them allowing me to attend their family events and being able to bring in the new year learning about their culture. Then her grandfather spoke up. I could tell he was putting in all of his energy to look my way and speak, and he spoke English to me. He told me that he was glad to meet me and hopes to see me again. I fought tears. I had just met this man 10 minutes ago and I’m a no-one in this room of a family, yet he took the time to make me feel not only welcomed, but special.

Not only did I get to experience the Tongan culture, but I gained a family. Not only did I meet the relatives Nola lived with, but I met her extended family as well, as they are all very close. I met cousins on both sides of her family and bonded greatly! They are all funny and had great senses of humor. I asked what the term for white girl was and they told me it was “palagni” and that became my nickname. One night we were playing a game Nola’s sister Lote knew of called Psych, which is basically like Cards Against Humanity except you all get to create and vote for the answers and the subject is one of the players. Naturally they all were roasting each other and it was hilarious. But then they began roasting me. I didn’t even realize they knew me well enough to have anything on me! I said “Wow you guys don’t hold back!” and Tina said, “Yep, welcome to the family!” and we all laughed. At that moment I really did feel accepted and that I was a part of the family. Families aren’t always cordial, sometimes they insult each other, and I got to be included in that as well.

The goodbyes were also very formal. The night before I left, the entire family came into the living room for a family prayer. Her father said his prayer in Tongan and Nola explained that he said he was thankful that I was able to come and they could meet me and prayed for a safe trip back home. Everyone said something about my visit. He also said he was sorry if their home wasn’t nice but it was all they had. Let me tell you what they presented me with. They had a 3 bedroom home and Nola’s sisters were also there for summer break. That means there were 6 of them. THEY GAVE ME MY OWN ROOM. These people were so humble yet so grateful for what they had.Thank goodness I had written out a Thank You card and gotten them a basket of chocolates or I probably would have looked silly with how formal they made this. I really felt loved in this moment. They gave me a Tongan mat as a parting gift and I will treasure it forever. Tina said when people ask me about it I can say it’s from my Tongan side. It was a joke, but she somewhat mean it as well. I came to see Nola and learn about her culture, and I gained a family. Her parents wanted to take a family photo and luckily the instagrammer in the room brought her tripod! The next morning when I was leaving, her mother said her goodbyes and began crying. I met her a week ago. It was incredible how much I bonded with this family. SO MUCH LOVE.

[llexeh]

Santa Baby (2-2) - Steve Rogers / Tony Stark

Part 2-2 of “Steve Is Going to Lose His Damn Mind”

Summary: All Steve wanted was to make some nice memories with his new family. You know, get a tree up, have a nice dinner, sing some carols. So what if he got a bit overenthusiastic? He absolutely did not want to google Tinder, or be struck by how attractive Tony Stark was. Again.

Warnings: alcohol consumption, ridiculousness, sad handjob, mild angst  

Potential trigger: Brief scene that can be construed as self harm on Steve's end. Just for full disclosure purposes, he uses scalding water knowing it would heal almost instantly. This is not done in a fit, or with the self harm end goal in mind. But I know first hand it can be triggering so I thought it would be worth mentioning. (Stay safe x)

Rating: mature

Pairings: Steve Rogers / Tony Stark, Darcy Lewis / Bruce Banner

Tags: pre-slash, crack treated seriously, slowburn, everyone is alive, Christmas fluff, group chat trope, auto correct trope

Word count: 5592

Pietro was allowed around the tower on the 24th. They’d visited him and decorated his hospital bed and even put a nice wreath on the door. Wanda tied bows on it, and Darcy covered it in glitter and silver beads. They took to singing loudly whenever Pietro’s whining got too much, which was roughly eight times a day that they knew of. Bruce kept feeding him sweets to quiet him, and Clint smuggled pizza in one night.

When he was finally allowed to leave the room, his anticipation was palpable. He literally shook with excitement, although if it was for the holiday or for being anywhere else, Steve didn’t know.

He shrieked when he saw the tree, trying to make his wheelchair go faster. “It’s so great,” he said in awe. He turned to Wanda, then to all his teammates gathered around it. “It’s been -”

“Yeah,” she said and ruffled his hair. “Come on, we saved the star for you.”

Pietro’s eyes widened. “Really?” he asked Steve, who was always the man he turned to for confirmation and orders.

“Really,” Steve replied and handed him a large silver star. “Darcy and Clint insisted that we put the A on it,” he said and pointed to the cardboard letter that was glued to the glass ornament.

Pepper pushed Tony in, throwing a sweater at him. She put the large box she was carrying on the floor and joined them. “Hello Pietro, are you excited?” she asked, a beaming smile on her face.

“Yes!” Pietro said and turned to Wanda. The girl gently lifted him up to the top of the tree. He slid the upright branch into the ornament and clapped loudly. The A was truly ugly. Steve loved it more than anything. Wanda lowered Pietro to be at their level.

“Do it, Tony,” Pepper ordered. “Remember I have blackmail material and I am not above using it to make you do things for me,” she said, her voice getting that singing lilt again.

“You used to be such a nice girl, Pepper,” Tony said, sliding the sweater over his head. He emerged with crazy hair and a scowl. When he rolled it down his torso, the knitted Grinch on it was his spitting image. “What happened?”

“I started working for you,” she replied and pushed the box towards them. “Come on, grab a sweater, put it on, stand around the tree. Someone help Pietro, please,” she instructed quickly. “We need a photo of the official team - Rhodey go next to Tony, maybe some of your maturity will rub off on him. Photo for the auction first, and then we can take some for us.”

She arranged them and fixed the camera on the tripod. “Okay, on three say ‘Avengers’! And because that doesn’t work, also smile. One, two…” The shutter went on a couple of times. Pepper went through the photos she took and consulted Darcy. “Okay we got it! Now for the other ones.” She urged them all to gather up once more for their personal photos before setting the timer. “Go crazy, guys, it’s our first Christmas together.”

Steve could have kissed her.

They had to take a vote on when to open presents. Some of them advocated for Christmas Day, others for the Eve. Once they started on the eggnog, the vote swayed towards the Eve, and in the end it was settled for midnight.

Steve had been prepping for the dinner for days. He had a lot of help from Darcy and Clint and even Vision, and it was a labour of love but he was extremely ready to not cook for a while. He was also nervous about the food; he tried cooking people’s favourites, and foods that were traditional to where they were from. Some ingredients were impossible to get, and he improvised the best he could. When they sat down to eat, Steve was so tense he could barely touch anything. It was a litany of appreciative noises from around the table, and Steve felt his shoulders relax slightly.

“Kholodets!” Natasha exclaimed as she lifted a lid. “Steve, kholodets!” She turned to look at him and leaned over the table to kiss his forehead. Pietro joined her in wondering at the traditional Russian dish while Wanda mouthed her thanks.

“We normally celebrate on the 7th of January,” Wanda said casually.

Steve stopped eating. “Why didn’t you say something? It’s not fair to -”

“Hey,” she interrupted him, “Christmas on the 25th is better than no Christmas. Pietro and I, our parents weren’t religious and back there it was religious for a lot of people. So it’s the thought, the family,” she told him, trying to keep the conversation private. It didn’t work at all, of course.

Natasha smiled. “I remember when Christmas didn’t exist. They moved it to the 1st of January. In the… in the Red Room we knew there was a celebration on the 7th and we knew what it was, but we were never allowed. It was just another day.”

Bruce coughed once to draw attention to him and immediately regretted based on his lost look. Darcy touched his hand and smiled. “My aunt gets drunk every year and slaps the turkey,” she offered with a shrug.

Natasha snorted and turned to look at the large bird on the table. “Do you take after her side of the family?”

Darcy grinned and fluttered her lashes. “I guess we’ll find out,” she said and winked at the turkey.

Clint shoved pigs in blankets in his mouth, throwing Steve a thumbs up and an enthusiastic nod. Bucky thanked him for making the roast potatoes the way his mother used to. Steve smiled widely and pointed towards the turkey. “Not that slapping it wouldn’t be amazing to watch,” he rolled his eyes, “but who wants to carve it?”

They looked at each other, trying to figure out what he meant. Tony was surprisingly the one to answer, not even lifting his head from his potato salad. “You, of course. And hurry up, I want to get to that crisp skin sooner rather than later.” When no one said anything, he looked up. “What?”

Steve shrugged. “It’s your tower, Tony. Maybe you should do it?”

Tony made a show of leaning back and rolling his eyes because he was the biggest drama queen, no matter how many tantrums Steve threw. “This is your tower as well. You all have rooms and little nooks of happiness and the building is actually in all of our names.” He sipped his mulled wine. “What?” he asked again in that impatient voice.

“Tony did you forget to tell them?” Pepper’s voice taking a slight shrill quality. “Tony, I sent you thirteen god damned emails and got Friday to sing to you. What did you do, sleep through all of it?” Tony stayed quiet, looking anywhere but ahead of him, where Pepper’s hand shot up to rest on her hip. “You’re an idiot,” she announced and kicked his shin under the table.

“I was working on a space suit and then I passed out and when I woke up Mr Fantastic was calling me and I just flew out to beat the crap out of a Doombot and to avoid Reed’s annoying voice. And I guess I forgot,” he finished lamely.

“Tony.” Steve’s voice was serious, he knew, but there was no accusation behind it. Tony forgot to eat and sleep and sit down, this was not new.

“When we rebuilt this,” he gestured around him, “I put it down with the Avengers as the owners. Then I kept adding people to the list of what the Avengers mean. It’s not a big deal, your name on the papers or not this is your home.” He pushed the turkey symbolically. The bird was huge. “Now carve it and feed us, Captain… Captain? I’ll have to think about it,” he told Steve, and that was the end of it.

On his part, Steve did his best to carve it as neatly as possible. It wasn’t like he had a lot of experience, or any really. Steve didn’t know a lot about a great deal of things. So he stood and tried to remember any circumstance in his life where carving a turkey had been a thing. If he’d known this was going to happen, he would have allocated three minutes to a youtube tutorial, risking the merciless teasing from Tony. In all fairness the scientist had been good with mocking Steve about his searches, but there was a knowing look. Maybe Steve was also paranoid on top of everything else he was discovering about himself.

He picked up the fork, feeling very self conscious about how slow he perceived his movement. Maybe they had drunk enough not to notice the slight tremor in his fingers. Steve bashed people’s heads in with his shield. This was ridiculous. He went for one of the legs, trying to position the knife as well as possible. The small shriek when a manicured hand shot out and slapped the turkey’s breast absolutely did not happen. Steve would go to his grave claiming that. Darcy howled with laughter at his little jump, and the others were in various degrees of hysterics. Steve hated all of them. He cut through the crispy skin with a scowl on his face. This was ridiculous. Again. He pushed the leg down with the fork, then cut straight through the ball joint.

The drumstick went on a plate, and it was out of Steve’s hands how they were all going to fight over who wants what. He kept going, piling up slices of almost-evenly-carved meat on a large platter. He was about to sit back down when he remembered. He picked the fork up again and poked through the skin on the remaining breast, then pulled slightly.

“Plate,” he said quietly to Tony, whose head snapped up looking around frantically.

“Don’t let them see us,” he whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear him.

“Stark give me the damn plate before I eat all the skin off this bird in front of you and make you watch,” Steve said in a normal voice.

“Promise? I love watching,” came the reply and Steve was about half a wrong breath away from smacking Tony’s hands with the carving fork.

“I’ll make sure to put on a show,” he said sitting down, trying hard for unimpressed and annoyed. That should definitely be the title of his autobiography if he ever decided to write it. Actually, a couple more words: frozen, frustrated, confused - the usual.

Dinner was a success as far as Steve was concerned. The teasing was familiar, and they shared stories of the few happy things they could remember about Christmas. When the conversation turned darker, Vision starting blasting “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and then awkwardly singing along. They tried to keep Steve from helping with clearing the table, but he still managed to sneak past them and start loading the dishwasher.

There was a sharp poke between his shoulderblades just as he was bending to rearrange some plates. It didn’t hurt, but it was uncomfortable enough to make him turn and look up.

“Come on, you can do dishes tomorrow as well,” Tony said and started pulling at his shoulder and then tried to push him towards the door. “There are about eighteen mugs in my lab and at least six bowls you can wash if you feel like it. Tomorrow,” he added, and tried moving Steve again.

“Just go sort out the drinks, I’ll be done here in a minute,” he tried for reason.

“No more doing things around the house tonight, you’re too big to be a house elf. And they’re not as cute. Now move,” he kept prodding at his chest, pulling at his arms, and even yanked his hair a little.

“Harry Potter, right?” Steve checked.

“Yes, yes, now come along.” When there was no sign of success Tony sighed, cocked his head, tutted, sighed again, and lightly backhanded Steve’s shoulder in the quickest succession Steve had seen. “Wanda!”

“Told you,” came her voice, and Steve found himself being floated away from the almost loaded dishwasher.  He scowled and waited for it to be over.

“Why do you have to be so stubborn? Literally one more minute, Stark.”

“Yeah, yeah, and then you’d have wanted to scrub the oven, and polish the silverware, and knit some warm tiny socks for homeless kittens, and we’d have been here all night waiting for you. Now sit down,” he said just as Wanda lowered him on the sofa, between Bucky and Pepper.

Getting presents was always an uncomfortable experience for Steve. After his mother died, Bucky was the only one who got him anything, and even that was cut short when he left. So Steve was awkward and a bit uncertain what to do with his hands. He tried to be as normal as possible when he unwrapped them, and he was grateful at everyone’s enthusiasm for not noticing the slight shaking of his fingers. He was amazed at how much thought they’d all put into what they got him. Steve received a new sketchbook, all the Star Wars movies, new pencils and -

“T-shirts that fit. Yeah, that’s right, no more gallivanting around the tower looking like your arms are being strangled,” Sam said with a smirk.

“What is wrong with you?” and “Are you actually insane Wilson?” and “What’s next, getting him in a bin bag?” and “Pepper, now! Take them away now when he’s not looking!” and Steve was honestly baffled.

“What are you talking about?” he asked looking around the room.

Natasha patted his head gently. “You don’t worry about this now,” she told him slowly.

“Nat…”

“Oh, it’s about your clothes.” He shook his head. “You know, the two sizes too small, match the sky blue colour of your eyes… the usual.”

“What?”

“Some of us have an appreciation for nice things in life,” Pepper offered. “Like how your back looks in blue t-shirts that are two sizes too small. And Sam Wilson The Traitor,” she added casually, “wants to take that away from us.”

“Pepper, I don’t -” Steve tried, but got interrupted again.

“Pepper, just take the damn things away and we’re all going to be okay!” Tony shouted and Steve reacted by holding his new clothes tighter.

“I think I’ll keep them,” he told them with a smile. “I wouldn’t want Sam to be offended.”

“You ruined Christmas,” Darcy shouted and then turned to Bruce. “You know I don’t -”

“Yeah, yeah I know,” he said, and kissed her temple.

If Steve was more conceited, he could have sworn Bruce said “I know he’s hot”, but he refused to accept it. He urged them all to keep shredding wrapping paper and they mercifully agreed. He caught Tony’s eye for a second and was left confused about what the scowl on his teammate’s face meant. There was a distinct annoyance in the way Tony stared at the t-shirts. Steve moved on to unwrap a cologne from Natasha and a foldable easel that had his initials brutally carved on the side. He could recognise Bucky’s ugly handwriting everywhere.

“What did you use, a butter knife?” he asked.

“My teeth,” came the quick reply and Steve burst into laughter.

Clint’s new controller set was a great hit with him, and Bucky caught the one the marksman threw at him. They settled on the floor quickly and immersed themselves into their usual friendly competition that involved about twenty swear words per minute. Natasha kissed his cheek softly for her new necklace, and Darcy threw herself at him in “eternal gratitude” for her new taser.

“Tony can add to it, I’m sure,” he told her as she hugged him repeatedly.

“We can probably put a small arc reactor in it, maybe even make it sing,” Tony confirmed. “Come to my lab some time, we’ll talk,” he said and nodded at Steve. “Thanks for my mug, Darce,” he added, using both hands to hold on to the huge mug. It had bad drawings of the Avengers and it was absolutely glorious.

Pepper thanked him for the leather journal, and Bruce thanked him for his new fountain pen. Steve decided again he loved giving presents because it was never about him. He accepted the hot chocolate with a nod, and settled to watch his family rejoice in their gifts.

As a general rule, Steve could go with almost no sleep at all. Sure, he felt tired, but it wasn’t a tragedy. He tried to keep a balanced life, tried to sleep enough and eat right, and exercise - all of which Bucky called overkill, and used to mock him endlessly. Steve remembered what it was like to feel like no air would ever enter his lungs again, or how it felt to not be able to jog for ten feet. So Steve was grateful, and honestly? he actually liked salads and working out. Bucky mocked him for that too, saying that it was natural he liked it when he already had the body for it. Steve punched him then, and all was good in the world again.

Steve spent hours watching the ceiling after their casual party finally broke up around two in the morning. He got up and tried drawing, but his hands didn’t cooperate - it seemed a common thing these days. He tried reading the new book he got, but he couldn’t focus. He tried doing crosswords, but his mind was loud and eventually he gave up and waited. He could normally fall asleep as soon as he wanted, courtesy of years having to do it in various army settings, but it seemed not even that worked right. Steve was a downright mess.

He kept hearing Tony’s harsh words, then Tony’s protests towards the t-shirts that fit better, then what he thought was some sort of friendly flirting, and it took forever for him to actually manage to sleep. When the knock came on his door, Steve felt like it was too soon, and grunted his dismissal. Much later, when he finally got up and showered, his head hurt in a way it only did when there was a physical injury. He wondered if it was actually a memory of the headaches he used to get before the serum. It was close to noon when he emerged from his room, and his stupid fast metabolism reminded him that it needed food and it needed it soon.

It was one of those split second things when he saw the red and gold wrapping paper. He had actually shut his door when the thought sunk in, and walked back in to investigate. The second he realised what he was looking at he could have punched himself in the face. The present for Tony, the one he spent ages on was sitting on his desk patiently. Steve was an idiot.

He picked it up and hurried to the living room. As soon as he walked in, hair sticking out from running his hands through it, present perched on his hip, and eyes looking around wildly, Steve felt it. The same train from last time, with the same precise speed and the same merciless power. Steve felt like someone stabbed him in the kidneys. The force of his recurring epiphany was enough to make him stop abruptly and any words he might have thought of saying died in his constricted throat.

Tony was on the floor, wearing a Christmas hat and his Christmas sweater, surrounded by children who rallied around him. There was a little girl on one of his knees, and a little boy on the other. They both kept touching his beard and his face, as if to make sure he was real. Steve had a very distinct urge to do the same. Behind him, the tree was revolving slowly, and Steve checked around the room for Wanda. There was no one else there except for Tony and the children. Wouldn’t that be a great band name? Even a great superhero team name.

Outside, the snow had some fairy tale qualities to it, falling down peacefully with large snowflakes that were sure to stick to everything. Steve wasn’t fond of the snow or the ice, or even the cold really, but it bathed the room (and subsequently Tony) in some dreamy-fairy-crap light and Steve found that he could start liking it.

“Look kids, it’s Captain America! In his glorious tracksuit bottoms and mercifully tight t-shirt, and sans shield but with a present inste - Steve that won’t help in battle,” he said, tickling the two kids on his lap slightly.

Steve was in love. This was it.

Some of the kids looked up and their eyes widened dramatically before they ran up to him. They all stopped just shy of jumping up into his arms, and turned back to look at Tony. “Go on, he’s not gonna get mad at you! Are you kidding me, this is Captain America! You could shoot at him and he’d still hug you!”

Steve would have denied it, but he knew it was true. He put the gift down and squatted to be closer to their heights. “Hi, I’m Steve.” he offered simply.

The kids smiled and started shouting their names at him. He shook every single one of their little hands and accepted that Ben, who was almost five, wanted to hug him. He picked up the kid and walked back to sit down opposite to Tony.

“Did you know our tree’s called Ben?” Steve asked the little boy who shook his head from his hiding place in Steve’s neck.

“It is?” Tony asked.

“Oh, yes,” Steve said and patted Ben’s head slowly. “Darcy named it when she was riding around it on her mighty steed.”

“There was a horse in here?” Tony asked, his tone even more perplexed.

“Not a horse, Tony, a mighty steed!” he emphasised. “How about you bring the box of decorations over here,” he asked the kids, “and I can get you up on my shoulders so you put them in the tree?”

Ben leaned back and looked at Steve. “Is that okay?”

“Of course! Go on, we’ll be here.” As soon as the kids were half into the box, Steve turned to Tony. “Did you seriously think there would have been a horse in the tower?”

Tony shrugged. “There’s a Norse god, The Hulk, and two enhanced kids who can kick as - butt! I said butt, Steve!” Tony yelped at the kick in the shin.

“Tony said butt!” one of the kids yelled and Steve loved the blush spreading on the scientist’s cheeks more than anything in the world.

“Would it be hard to believe there was a horse? Our washing machines sing ‘Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?’ when we put them on,” he whispered.

“When was the last time you touched the washing machines? Actually when was the first?” Steve whispered-shouted back.

“When I made them sing!” Tony said and burst into laughter.

Steve was gone. This was it, he was gone. Good bye forever. Tony’s eyes crinkled and it physically hurt Steve because he just wanted to hold the man. He wanted to hold the man and sit on the floor and look at the stupid revolving tree -

“Tony why is the tree moving?”

“Ah, well. You see. There was a sort of. You know, I don’t actually know why. Maybe it’s some Christmas miracle -”

“Tony.”

“I just fiddled with this scrap metal I had in the lab, put an engine on it, it’s no big deal,” he finally replied, looking around the room to avoid Steve’s face.

“When did you even have time to do it?”

“Well, last night when I didn’t sleep?”

Steve didn’t know how it happened, but he just found himself blurting, “I forgot to give you your present!”

Tony nodded, then shrugged. “It’s okay, I just figured you didn’t get me anything.”

Steve spluttered. “How? I got everyone something.”

“Sometimes you don’t like me much, and I don’t blame you, it’s not a big deal.”

Steve honestly, honest to god, as honest as he could possible be, felt like crying. He also felt like kissing Tony, and punching him a little, and hugging him, and kissing the stupid lines in the corners of his eyes, and run his hands through his hair, and Steve needed to get a fucking grasp on reality sooner rather than later.

“That’s bullshit,” he whispered, wary of the kids hearing him.

Tony gasped and clutched at his chest. “Captain! America! How could you? Kids, Steve says we should all sing some carols while he picks you up and you can ride him like a horse - AH I see!”

“Told you. And I’m a steed.”

Marie had a lisp so when she said “steed” repeatedly while perched on Steve’s shoulders, he struggled not to laugh and shake her even harder. Tony started singing ‘Santa Baby’ before it dawned on him that it was not exactly appropriate or a carol, and moved on to ‘Deck the Halls.’

All the Avengers came in to say hi, shepherded by Pepper who brought them cookies and hot chocolate. Jane was a hit with a couple of little girls who wanted to be scientists, and Natasha showed some of them how to get out of a hold before she was rushed away. “I’ll be good,” she shouted, “just let me tell them what not to do when they’re attacked from the side.”

Vision let all the kids touch him, and giggled when tiny fingers poked at the Mind Stone. “I don’t think it likes the tickling,” he said trying to stifle his laughter. The kids were fascinated by Bucky’s arm, even though he wore a long sleeved top to try and hide it. They lifted the sleeve and started counting the segments, asking what it could do and if they could draw on it. When Bucky informed them crayons wouldn’t show, he offered the alternative of paper and his company. They readily agreed.

Steve found Tony sitting on the kitchen counter by the fridge. He was waiting for the coffee to be ready, idly rearranging magnets. “You okay?” Steve asked.

“Yeah, just a bit tired. I’ll be back to belting out Rudolph’s name in a minute.”

“Please don’t,” Steve said with a smile. “I don’t think the serum was meant to protect me from such things.”

Tony smiled back and it warmed Steve’s heart. “Is that for me?”

Steve nodded and handed him the box. “I don’t know how I missed it, I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, how dare you not reciprocate my thoughtful gift of an improvement on the shield that isn’t ready because I didn’t get round to manage to steal it from you and now it’s too late cause you already know so can you bring it downstairs soon?”

Steve huffed, trying not to get closer to him. He was leaning on the kitchen island, safe from giving in to his now constant wish of touching the man in any way he could. “I thought you gave me the Star Wars boxset?”

“And the Avengers figurine collection,” Tony added patiently.

“The shield’s fine as it is, don’t worry about it. We had a spending limit anyway!”

“Steve, I’m Tony Stark, I’ve never had a spending limit,” he said and sipped his freshly poured coffee. “Now hand it over and let me see.”

Steve fiddled with it. “It’s really not that great,” he told him. He really wished he’d remembered to give Tony the present the day before so he could have opened it then and it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal.

“Shhh, hand it over, there you go, that’s a good Captain, okay now let go, okay? Okay, great, now step back a little? Perfect, thank you.”

Steve was more nervous than before battle. Battles were routine, he trained for battles. They ran scenarios, sparred, tried to plan for unpredicted, and Steve was a soldier so battles gave him a rush of sorts. But this was new and horrible and Steve really wanted his shield.

“I’m gonna go back to -”

It wasn’t like Tony said anything, but he was halfway through unwrapping the box - and this time he didn’t just tear at it like a savage. Steve wanted to go, maybe even to get the shield and bring it back, and he was sure there was something to do with the kids, but Tony took the lid off and gasped and Steve was rooted to the marble tiles he was standing on.

It took weeks to be able to put together the photo album that Tony was currently caressing, apparently afraid of opening. Steve had talked to Peggy and Peggy had directed him to some other old SHIELD members, who then pointed out archives for him. Then he had to physically spend time sifting through papers and reports, then to make more phone calls and pull rank in order to get copies of the photos. A couple he actually stole because there was a limit to his patience, and rude people were not a helping factor.

The pages were filled with black and white photos of young Maria and Howard, of baby Tony, of Jarvis holding Tony, of Peggy cuddling him on the floor, of a toddler Tony sleeping with a toy Captain America shield. There were photos of Howard trying to calm Tony down as he was holding a meeting with what looked like officials. It spread out over years, and Steve had to persuade Vision to put in a good word with Friday to get some photos of teen Tony, and he was now torn between regretting everything and moving to the depths of the Arctic Ocean, and kissing the man’s watery eyes.

“How?”

“Called in some favours, talked to Peggy, the usual. Is it okay? I’m sorry if I’ve overstepped the line or -”

Tony hopped off the counter and took the few steps to where Steve was standing. “No no don’t. I mean I could have lived three content lifetimes without you ever seeing that photo of me and the toy shield. Or the one where I’m drooling on Peggy’s shirt - that’s not even really cute and I’m pretty sure I don’t do that anymore, I don’t actually know, there was no one to comment on it so I don’t -”

“Tony.”

“It’s perfect,” he said quietly, “thank you so much.” He placed it next to Steve and slowly lifted his arms to envelop Steve in a hug. On his part, Steve was still, letting Tony do his thing at his own pace. Once he was sure the man settled, he hugged him back; they stayed like that for a few moments.

“Tony, why are there children in our living room?”

The man burst into laughter, shaking both of them as he pulled back. He went to wipe the dampness under his eyes that were not fully formed tears, but Steve knew. “You played with all of them for hours before asking, really?”

“I don’t mind!” Steve said defensively. “I love spending time with them, I was just curious.”

“I just forget how accepting you are of things,” Tony offered as a very subtle apology in case he offended Steve. “Pepper looks after them through the foundation. They’ve either been abandoned or orphaned. A couple of them… their parents were killed in action. She called this morning and asked if she could bring them over. Their caretakers were delighted with the idea and I said yes because Christmas is hard.”

Steve wanted to hug Tony again, but there was a time and a place and probably a limit on how many times they could do that. If Steve had his way he would hug Tony at the smallest of prompts. Oh, Tony woke up? Better hug him. Oh, Tony walked? Better hug him. Now there was a precedent - Steve thought fleetingly there were quite a few of those happening recently - and Steve knew how it felt. Things were not going to get any easier.

“I know you’re not a fan. I really wanted us to have a kind-of-family thing just to make some nice memories, you know?” Tony nodded. “Thanks for making the tree spin, Clint is ecstatic.”

“Thanks for making the tree happen,” Tony countered and they left it at that.

The silence was oddly not uncomfortable. Steve ended up getting coffee for himself and Tony would occasionally open the album at a random page and smile. It was a good feeling to have done something nice for someone he cared about.

“Come on,” Tony said, packing the album back in its box and heading towards the door. “The kids will leave soon and I wanna say goodbye. Pepper’s got gifts for them, as well.”

Steve nodded. “Go ahead, I’ll tidy up a bit and -”

“Seriously? You’re going to load up the dishwasher now? This is deja vu. Why are you doing this to me again?”

“Just go!”

“Fine. But Steve?”

“Yeah.”

“You know you could have ordered all the decorations and everything on Amazon, right? I mean we do have Prime and just saying, you could have if you wanted.”

Steve was mindful of the kids hearing, but he still couldn’t help himself. “Fuck off, Tony.”

A/N: Natasha’s talk about Christmas is based on her age according to the MCU wikia and historical developments in the Soviet Union. “Khodelets” is a traditional dish in Eastern Europe, although whether this is the word actual Russains use or not, I really can’t be sure. My apologies if I got something wrong. 

The 7th of January is the actual date of Christmas according to the Julian calendar. Many Orthodox people celebrate it then. Sokovian customs are influenced by the Eastern European customs I grew up with since it’s not an actual country. 

Part 1 / 2

Masterlist

This can also be found on Ao3. 

Send me opinions and thoughts and random things, ily all x 

[livingcorner]

How to make a vegetable garden from scratch

Prepare the ground

Start your preparation by pulling out any annual weeds before they self-sow – summer is an ideal time to do this. Whilst busy you can assess whether or not you have many perennial weeds in your grassy area. The likely suspects are buttercup, clover and bindweed and they will need removing.

If you have lots of perennial weeds you will have your work cut out. As there is now some concern over the use of glyphosate it may be better not to apply weed killer but instead to cover the ground with carpet or black impermeable weed suppressing membrane until the weeds have turned yellow and completely died. Once dead wait for a week or two and then turn the soil over with a garden fork, but don’t break down the clods. Leave them and allow the winter to break down the lumps.

You're reading: How to make a vegetable garden from scratch

If your lawn in mainly well-behaved grasses, there is another alternative to spraying. Lift the turf by cutting foot-long squares and pile it up in a stack. You can either leave the turf in this stack and it will decompose and produce loamy soil which can be added to the top. Or you can bury your turf a spade’s depth down and this will feed the soil.

Once the ground is clear fork the soil over roughly, leaving the clods of soil intact. Let the weather, ie the frost and cold, break down the soil for you. By spring it will hopefully be fine and powdery, unless it’s heavy clay. Then it may take longer to break down. Clay soil lays cold and wet for longer, so planting and sowing on clay needs greater patience. You need warm conditions and drying soil. However clay soil is fertile and it hangs on to its nutrients well.

The act of turning over the soil will bring lots of seeds to the surface and they will germinate, so in the following year there will be lots of weeding. The best method is to try and catch the seedlings early and hoe them off using a small hoe. This will also deter slugs, because they hate the ground being disturbed.

Plan your vegetable garden

Set your new vegetable patch up into separate areas if you can, rather than one large patch. Each bed could be partitioned with planks, although do frisk the ground underneath the wooden planks for slugs on a regular basis.

Raised beds are popular with some gardeners, but keep the sides low because if they’re too high they exclude slug-munching beetles and amphibians. This system will preserve the soil structure, because you won’t have to trample over the patch every time you harvest. If you can devise a four-part system it will make rotation easier. This system of moving crops round deters diseases and avoids the build up of soil-borne pests such as cabbage root fly.

When and what to plant

Virgin ground should be very fertile for the first year, but the trick with vegetable growing is timing. Wait for spring to appear before getting busy. The grass should be growing and the birds should be nesting.

What to plant in the first year

Opt for plants that go in an out of the ground within weeks at the start. If you wish to grow fruit, such as strawberries, or asparagus, give it two or three years of weed clearing before you plants.

Read more: How to Kill Grubs in Vegetable Gardens

Opt for vegetable varieties with an AGM if you can. This Award of Garden Merit, awarded by experts, denotes a superb variety. Be prepared to pay for F1 seeds. Although more expensive, they have greater vigour at every stage and that includes germination.

Potatoes

Potatoes condition the soil and break it up so they cover as much of your new plot as you can. Opt for first or second early varieties and buy them in January or February. Place them somewhere cool and light so that they chit. ie produce small shoots. Plant them in mid-April and try to lift them before the end of July, before potato blight strikes.

First Early Potato ‘Foremost ‘AGM Ever popular ‘new potato’ with slightly waxy, firm, white, good-flavoured flesh that does not discolour or disintegrate on cooking.

Second Early ‘Lady Christl’ AGM Bulks up quickly and the tubers stay small. Shallow- eyed, pale yellow-skin and creamy flesh which remains firm on cooking. Eelworm resistant.

Read more on growing potatoes.

Early carrots and beetroot

Sow in early April in wide, four-inch drills. This negates the need to thin the seedlings. By late June you should be harvesting both.

‘Amsterdam Forcing 3’ AGM Smooth colourful carrot which bulks up well early on.

‘Purple Haze’ F1 Sow two or three weeks after ‘Amsterdam Forcing’ because purple varieties need warmer temperatures to germinate.

Beetroot ‘Alto’ F1 AGM Cylindrical roots which push up through the ground so it’s easy to see the size of each root. Crops well and it’s early.

Read more on growing carrots

Runner Beans

Go for tripods rather than rows and sow the beans in modular trays and then plant them out when they are a foot high. Sow in late-April, but make sure that the beans do not get planted outside until early June and, if you’ve grown them under glass, give them at least a week outside to harden off. Red-flowered varieties prefer cooler summers. White-flowered varieties do best in warm summers and hybrid runner x French beans do well whatever the weather.

Hybrid Runner x French ‘Moonlight’ AGM Self-pollinating with creamy-apricot flowers followed by fleshy stringless beans about a foot long.

Runner Bean ‘Polestar’ British-bred red-flowered runner bean that produced rounded plump beans.

Runner Bean ‘White Lady’ Vigorous heavy cropping white runner bean that sets beans even in high temperatures.

Read more: Feng Shui Tips For Luck And Wealth: 7 Ways To Use Elephant In Your Home Decor

Read more on growing runner beans

Lettuces

A good catch crop round the beans, to tempt the slugs towards them rather than the growing tips of your runners. Grow three varieties ( loose leaf, a small hearting lettuce and a Cos) to harvest in succession. Sow and prick out into modular 6×4 trays in march, then in June and then in early July to ensure a succession.

‘Salad Bowl’ There are green and red forms of this loose-leaf lettuce, or mixed packets. The advantage of a loose leaf variety is that it’s ready first and doesn’t bolt as easily in dry weather.

‘Little Gem’ The perfect small hearting lettuce for two people. Green and sweet.

‘Lobjoit’s Green’ Large heritage Cos Lettuce, with an upright habit.

Read more on growing lettuce

Courgettes

Try a couple of courgette plants as well, because these will crop in the second half of summer. Fruits must be harvested three times a week to keep the supply coming.

‘Venus’ AGM Compact plant, with almost spine-free stems. Good yield of dark-green glossy fruits.

‘Orelia’ AGM Golden yellow courgette with slender fruit. A vigorous and heavy-cropping variety.

[#CTA#]

Source: https://livingcorner.com.au Category: Garden

source https://livingcorner.com.au/how-to-make-a-vegetable-garden-from-scratch/

[karingudino]

Extraordinary Vegan Salads

RECIPE LINKS BELOW! Hyperlink to those and extra (25 complete) vegan salad recipes on my weblog: https://sweetpotatosoul.com/spectacular-vegan-salads/

Maple mustard tempeh Buddha bowl

Maple Mustard Tempeh Buddha Bowl

5 Ingredient Mediterranean salad

5 Minute Easy Vegan Recipes {+ VIDEO}

Loaded candy potato & arugula herb salad

A Full Day of High Protein Vegan Meals | Recipes & VIDEO

Peach panzanella salad

Late-summer Peach Panzanella & Chilled Potato Bisque {VIDEO}

Beet soba noodle salad

Polish Summer Soba Salad // Salad Samurai Cookbook Giveaway

Roasted cauliflower & candy potato salad

Roasted Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Salad {VIDEO}

Avocado pesto pasta salad https://www.instagram.com/television/CEulmSkn40m/?igshid=1vw1386okptew

Marinated white bean salad

Marinated White Bean Salad

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[365-money-diary]

DAYS 50 - 56

DAY FIFTY

6:25 AM - Up an at ‘em. It’s vaccine day! The State Farm Stadium is 30 minutes away from my house and I kind of have a history of feeling light-headed and such so I eat a piece of toast before we leave. Prep our water bottles and coffee in our respective hydroflasks and we’re out the door.

7:25 AM - We arrive to the stadium and go through a slew of checkpoints. Unfortunately because of the storms they aren’t giving out plus ones today so we will try for K again when I get my second. The process is pretty easy and we are out of there in 30 minutes. I get the Pfizer vaccine. :) 

8:30 AM - K and I take a walk since I still have some time before work starts. 

10:00 AM - Today is going to be super easy workwise so I just kind of take my time easing into it. I start to feel some tingles from the shot as well as arm soreness. Nothing I can’t handle though! 

12:00 PM - Annual charge for my recipe plugin comes through for my blog. Heat up broccoli fried rice for lunch. $49.00

2:00 PM - My arm is starting to hurt but nothing I can’t handle. Eat pretzels.

4:00 PM - Ditch work early to take a walk to the lake. Bring wine in a hydroflask to just sit and enjoy the weather. I chat with T on the way and then FaceTime with H who says he’s moving to Philly. Super bummed honestly. DJing with him is one of my favorite things on this planet.

6:00 PM - Arrive home to find a sleepy K. My arm is really hurting at this point and we decide to take a nap.

7:30 PM - Wake up feeling groggy and in pain. Remember they advised drinking water before taking Tylenol so I down 48 ounces and actually start to feel better. Heat up a Big Sur Breakfast burrito for dinner and K and I watch the first 30 minutes of Uncut Gems. K’s brother hits him up to play RocketLeague and so he breaks away to that and I watch more of The Challenge.

11:30 PM - I am tired of being awake and would just rather be asleep.

DAY FIFTY TOTAL: $49.00

DAY FIFTY-ONE

8:30 AM - Wake up feeling like my body has been doing work to fight something, but without any external symptoms (fever, chills, fatigue) minus my sore arm. Continue hydrating and make a chemex.

9:00 AM - I can’t really work on the trim today as planned because of my arm, so I decide to work on my blog instead. 

11:00 AM - Make pancakes and hashbrowns for breakfast.

2:30 PM - Post a recipe for Greek Salad. The Internet seems to be receptive which is nice… my last few recipes have flopped. Finish The Ruins. Actually bummed Sara & KellyAnne didn’t win. Evan, Kenny, and Johnny suck and needs to rot in hell. Make a giant bowl of popcorn.

5:00 PM - Drop off a ball and a tube to a friend who is starting to take Pure Barre classes again. Walk back and then K and I walk to the lake with the dog. Feels like the best thing we’ve done all day tbh. My arm still hurts too much to exercise so this is the best it’s gonna get.

7:45 PM - Arrive home and roast potatoes for buffalo chicken sandwiches. I’ll definitely be shooting this for the blog.

8:00 PM - It’s one of those nights where I already did everything and I’m tired of screens. I reached out to a friend a few days ago for book recs and I pick one from the list called The Guest List. Buy it on kindle. $16.40

9:30 PM - I’m already ready to start a new season of The Challenge. This one is Fresh Meat II. Can’t believe Darrell gets eliminated on the first episode. Dang.

10:45 PM - K and I decide we’re tired and that it’s time for beddie. My body is definitely ready for sleep. 

DAY FIFTY-ONE TOTAL: $16.40

DAY FIFTY-TWO

8:30 AM - Wake up feeling pretty rested. Definitely a lot better today. Arm is mildly sore. Might be able to ride the bike or play DDR today. Maybe modify Pure Barre but probably not. Take a shower for the first time since Thursday because I usually shower after I exercise and that hasn’t happened in a while… hah.

9:00 AM - My kettle has been here for a few days but I haven’t broken it out of the shed yet. Unbox the beauty, give it a little rinse and make my first cup of coffee. I like how quiet it is and how little space it takes up. 10/10.

10:15 AM - I notice I still have a half block of tofu leftover so I make tofu/egg tacos for breakfast with Field Roast Sausage, mushrooms, onions, and jalapenos.

11:15 AM - Clean the kitchen and prep for shooting. I am feelin’ the vibes from my last post so I don’t want to lose motivation. Make miso butter pasta since it’s really all I can swing with the ingredients in my pantry. 

1:15 PM - Finish shooting and import the photos into my library while watching The Challenge in the background. Decide might as well start editing. I don’t have much else going on and I’m again, feeling motivated.

4:30 PM - K goes on a drive and I decide to play DDR. My arm is not ready for barre but it can dangle a bit while I stomp on some arrows. I decide I really want to learn Afronova on heavy which is something I never was really able to pass consistently in my youth. It’ll be a good thing to work toward over the next few weeks.

5:30 PM - Pour a glass of wine and hop on zoom with K’s family. It’s nice to see them.

7:30 PM - Make buffalo chicken sandwiches for dinner with potatoes.

9:00 PM - Walk to the lake with K. 

12:00 AM - Finish my entire post for miso butter noodles. I don’t think I’ve ever shot and posted something in the same day. Exhausting! Hah

DAY FIFTY-TWO TOTAL: $0

DAY FIFTY-THREE

8:00 AM - Pure barre charge. Make a chemex. And eat half a bagel with earth balance and nooch for breakfast. Also get charged for my automatic payment to Amazon for iron pills $27.93

9:00 AM - Today is my officemate’s birthday. My boss and I pitched in to get her a Lululemon gift card. $35

12:00 PM - Leftover miso butter noodles for lunch with air-fried broccoli.

5:00 PM - Today was honestly exhausting but I am ready to move. Play a few games of DDR and then do a barre class. 

7:00 PM - Rinse off and make the last of the buffalo chicken sandwiches. We’re very excited for groceries tomorrow hah.

9:30 PM - Buy a phone tripod. I suck at doing videos one-handed and I know I can grow my pages like bananas if I can actually shoot the content correctly. I apply the gift card my boss got me for building her website so this is on the house. 

DAY FIFTY-THREE TOTAL: $62.93

DAY FIFTY-FOUR

7:00 PM - Long ass day. Groceries are slated to arrive. Incoming of bell peppers, tomatoes, grapes, tofu, cucumber, broccoli, red onion, limes, lemons, bananas, jalapenos, serranos, clementines, bread, chickpeas, tortilla chips, tortillas, sprouts, potatoes, baby carrots, onions, salsa, cauliflower rice, cilantro, gf mini pretzels, apples, hashbrowns, oat milk, cheese, vegan cheese, brown rice, white rice, gf pasta, spring mix, romaine, tomato paste, dark chocolate, red wine and balsamic vinegar, pineapple, scallions, oregano, shallots, mushrooms, orzo, kale, chipotle peppers, eggs, brown sugar, burger buns, corn, parsley, veggie straws, vanilla bean, asparagus, snap peas, a pound of coffee, plant sausage, plant yogurt, zucchini, radish, cabbage, seltzer, plant yogurt, pasta sauce, plant pizza, jelly, and mustard. $350.86

8:00 PM - Eat red lentil pasta for dinner.

DAY FIFTY-FOUR TOTAL: $350.86

DAY FIFTY-FIVE

1:00 PM - Done with meetings for the day. My brain hurts. Hah make salad (bbq chicken, spring mix, carrots, bell pepper, onion, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and ranch is the combo for the week), drink seltzer, tryyyy to calm down. 

3:40 PM - Actually hoping no one bothers me for the rest of the day. Change into workout clothes and sneak in my last barre class for the challenge. 

6:00 PM - Get charged for CBS all access. Craving a cocktail instead of wine. Pick some grapefruits from the backyard, text J to ask how to salt a rim, then make a grapefruit + mezcal drink with a chili-lime salted rim. YUM.  $6.48

7:00 PM - Veggie sandwiches with potatoes is the name of dinner for the next few days. So good!

DAY FIFTY-FIVE TOTAL: $6.48

DAY FIFTY-SIX

8:30 AM - Make a chemex and “get to work.” Today is super slow. I finish the last of my outstanding tasks, make 2 batches of chex mix which I regret because K says he won’t be eating any since he’s trying to avoid salt. Snack on that and then make salad for lunch.

1:30 PM - Literally no one has pinged me so I take the opportunity to play some DDR. I play for nearly an hour before anyone bothers me and nail down the steps to this one section of Afronova at ⅕ the speed. I’ll try ⅖ tomorrow! 

5:30 PM - K and I are both starving so I make us dinner early today. Drink a grapefruit + mezcal cocktail after din.

8:30 PM - K asks if I’ll walk to the lake with him and the dog. I kind of don’t want to since I played my heart out already but he asks pleeeassse and I oblige. The walk is really really nice. We even sit near the waterfront for a while watching people do this cheesy skate routine. 

10:30 PM - Make it back. I work on my blog in K’s office while he edits video stuff. I have The Challenge on in the background and finish Fresh Meat II. Only 11 more seasons before I can cancel my membership! Hah.

DAY FIFTY-SIX TOTAL: $0

[smallzilla]

11 Useful Food Photography Tips

1. Lighting, Lighting, Lighting Lighting, Lighting

No matter what photos you're taking, light is usually the key element that you simply need to take into consideration. Your ally and your biggest enemy. When it involves food photography, natural right is that the most preferable option. In such how, you'll be ready to get the textures and colors good. Try placing your composition right next to the window then try finding the simplest angle. If you are feeling just like the light is just too harsh, you'll always use a sheer fabric to form it a touch softer. If you'll work outside, then totally do this.

In case you merely can’t use natural light, try photographing the plate or composition inside a photo light box.

Related: Top 6 Best Portable Photo Studio Boxes In 2019 | Photo Light Boxes

2. Garnish and obtain Messy Get Messy

Food pictures look amazing if tons are happening within the frame. In such how , they appear realistic. Don’t be afraid to go away some flour on the table, if you're shooting food . Salads and meat dishes sometimes need even more color and texture. Use garnishes, greens, and spices. Yes, maybe this stuff isn't really within the recipe and you'd want to require them out before beginning to consume the dish, except for the sake of the photo, you'll sometimes add even inedible elements that simply look good.

In case you're shooting a recipe, it’s an excellent idea to put some ingredients round the outcome. You can’t see what exact spices the chef added within the dish, but if you employ thyme and basil, for instance, within the frame, then the viewer will have a clearer idea of the recipe (and the image will simply look such a lot more appealing). Don’t underestimate an easy grater! otherwise, you can always crumble some ingredients on top of the ultimate dish.

3. Learn Manual Learn Manual

Let’s get a touch more technical here. Unfortunately, the probabilities are high that you simply won’t be ready to take stunning food pictures if you can’t use the manual mode that your DSLR has. just in case you've got a special camera, try shooting in ‘macro’ and skip this tip.

Use a high ISO, if you're shooting handheld. you'll boost your ISO up to 1600 or maybe 3200 if you're taking shots indoors. However, take care, as there could be an excessive amount of noise within the picture. If you're employing a tripod, then certainly do lower your ISO to urge crisp and sharp results.

Want to specialize in the dish and keep everything else a touch blurry? Use a shallow depth of field. Shoot using the widest aperture.

Related: What Are the perfect Camera Settings For Studio Photography? 4. Get a Tripod Get a Tripod

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of an honest tripod when it involves food photography. If you would like to shoot a flat lay, for instance, it might be incredibly difficult to urge a pointy picture, if you're holding the camera. But just in case you've got a tripod, you'll easily choose the simplest angle for your picture.

Different bowls, salads and therefore the majority of meat dishes are the simplest shot from above. A burger will look incredible if you shoot it head-on. However, you'll always experiment with the angles to seek out the simplest ones.

A tripod won't only help eliminate the effect of ‘shaking hands’, but they're also won’t be any human shadows within the frame that sometimes will ruin the entire picture. If you're curious about tripods check our list for best tripods for photography.

5. Invest in a tremendous Lens Amazing Lens

But first, you've got to make a decision, if you would like to require to pack up shots of food or to photograph layouts. These are different purposes and you'd certainly need a minimum of two lenses to urge everything right. However, a 50 mm lens is often used for both, pack up shots and for the photographs taken from above.

You would want to take a position during a fixed focal lens. to urge the specified composition, you'd simply got to change your position.

In a nutshell, if you're serious about your food photography, then you ought to not be using the kit lens that you simply initially got together with your camera. to ascertain the simplest lenses for each camera brand check our recommended gear for photographers.

6. Have an idea Have Plan

Of course, the plan and schedule would depend upon the sort of food photography that you simply concentrate on. If you wish to require pictures of step-by-step recipes, then confirm that you simply have all the ingredients.

Before taking the shot, imagine what you would like it to seem like. Get the required accessories (backdrops, napkins, and silverware) and garnish. you'll even try shooting the entire composition without the particular food to form sure that the colors look great which the position is simply perfect.

7. Add Color Add Color

Let’s be honest, some dishes don't look appealing in the least (even though they could be finger-licking good in real life). you would possibly try adding color and texture with some garnish and greens that we've mentioned before. Vegetables and fruit are always an excellent eye-catcher, so you would possibly want to think about adding these to the frame (maybe even next to the plate).

Moreover, don’t ditch the knives, forks, spoons and therefore the actual plates. Those are often incredibly beautiful and help get the viewer’s attention.

8. Get Great Backdrops Great Backdrops

Backdrops are incredibly important for food photography. Especially, if you would like to shoot layouts, recipes or photos for a food blog. Moreover, it's another great and straightforward thanks to adding some color and texture to your composition.

The great news is that these backdrops don’t get to be expensive. Yes, a cool rustic or marble table looks very nice within the pictures. But you'll always get foam boards or maybe scrapbook paper. you'll also get different boards and paint them in bright colors. These are great because they're easy to maneuver around so that you'll find the right light.

9. Don’t ditch Napkins Napkins

These are the tiny things that tons of food photographers neglect. But napkins can easily make your shot look more finished and cute. Those are often colorful paper napkins or beautiful textile options. By the way, you wouldn’t get to splurge on this stuff, but they do make a difference.

10. Have a glance at How Other Photographers roll in the hay How Other Photographers roll in the hay

Now, that doesn't mean that you simply got to copy the photographers that you like. But you'll surely get inspired by some ideas, color combinations, and little tricks. Or if you recognize beforehand that you simply would wish to require an image of mashed potatoes, for instance, and you've got absolutely no idea about the way to make a bowl filled with mashed potatoes look good, then we might recommend taking a peek at how other food photographers do this.

11. Get Creative! Get Creative! Sometimes you don’t need that pie or apple to seem perfect. Take a bite! Mid-meal shots are appealing to the viewer as they're going to see a delicious dish that you simply want to right away devour, rather than a perfect cake that you simply are afraid to the touch. you're adding some authenticity and that’s always great. Bear in mind that sometimes even dirty kitchenware looks amazing. As if you've got just finished cooking and didn’t have time to wash up.

If you've got such a chance, try adding some movement to your shot. for instance, you'll pour the sauce over a dish and take an attempt while it's moving.

[withabackpackandcamera]

April 8th, 2019

Day 4: Exploring Trier and Heidelberg

After a quick breakfast at home, we drove out to the town of Trier. It probably took a little more than twenty minutes to get there, but the issue was trying to find parking. We took a while to find parking since we weren't quite sure where we could park and what parking spots were free and which ones were pay ones. Finally, we found a convenient spot close to the Old Town area and parked there and started our two hour self-tour of Trier. Trier is a nice little town with a good bit to see and a nice, medieval feel. While touring the town, we saw the Haupmarkt, Trier Saint Peter's Cathedral, the Catholic church, Porta Nigra, Imperial Baths (from the outside), and the Kurfurstliches Palais.

Once our parking was up, we drove off to see the Roman Bridge on the outskirts of town before going to Lidl to stock up for the next leg of the trip to Heidelberg. It took us about two hours to drive to Heidelberg but we made it in good time despite the not-so-ideal weather on the drive there. Luckily for us, the weather turned out much more pleasant once we were in Heidelberg. Parking also took a while to find but we eventually parked in a parking garage we found and walked into town from there.

Similar to other towns we had already visited this trip, we strolled through the main street of Old Town Heidelberg past all the different stores, shops, and restaurants until we reached the busy, car and bike filled street running around Old Town. At that point, we took a turn toward the Neckar River and stopped to take some photos on the bridge before walking along the river, enjoying the beautiful riversides with beautiful homes lining them along the way. After taking some family photos, we continued on to the Old Heidelberg Bridge, a nice bridge that also crossed over the Neckar River. We stopped to take in the views of Heidelberg and Heidelberg Castle behind us before continuing on to the other river bank.

We enjoyed the nice weather and view from the river bank before crossing back into Old Town Heidelberg, where we looked for a place to eat an early dinner. Minh actually wanted to get an early dinner in order to get out on time to capture photos of the sunset. Luckily, I had already found and marked a restaurant nearby called Vetter’s Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus that I thought was a good place to try some typical German pub food. So we stopped by there for dinner. The first things you drink and eat in Germany are beers and sausages, respectively. And that's exactly what we did! First, my family ordered a Vetter's Beer Sampler, complete with four different types of beers (a dark beer, a seasonal beer, a wheat beer, and a pilsner). Of all the ones I tried, I think I liked the seasonal one the best. After trying a couple of beers, we placed our order: Homemade Goulash Soup with bread, Rostbratwurstchen x6 (small grilled sausages from Nurnberg, served with sauerkraut and bread), homemade big "German Bratwurst" with fried potatoes and sauerkraut, and a Schnitzel (breaded pork with fried potatoes and a side salad (which we didn't get and they funnily enough supplanted it with two shots of vodka later on, lol)). The meal, despite being SUPER heavy, was very delicious! I really enjoyed the potatoes, the German bratwurst, and the schnitzel.

Our bellies were pretty full by the time we left the restaurant, but somehow, my mom still had space and ended up buying some gelato for the walk over the bridge. For the next hour plus, I set myself up, with my tripod and camera, on the opposite riverbank and spent time capturing photos of Old Town Heidelberg and the bridge as the sun set. The photos were meh.

By this point, my family wanted to go off and see whatever they could of Heidelberg before we had to set off to our next AirBnB and so they left before me and started walking ahead. I didn't expect to be too far behind but by the time I started walking to find them (and it was at a ridiculous pace that I walked to find them), I couldn't find them. I walked through town, from one end to the other, three times without any success finding them. UGH. And I was carrying heavy stuff too. I was so mad by this point. After searching for like 45-60 minutes, I finally took a short minute to text them using WiFi I had picked up earlier in the day. And they were waiting at the car. WTH. I had told them to just walk along the main road until I caught up. Ugh. Oh well, we eventually found each other, passive aggressively dealt with the situation until it blew over, and drove off to our next destination, Mainz/Ingelheim, arriving a little later than expected but not too far off.

Ugh, my tired legs...

5 Things I Learned Today:

1. In Heidelberg, people love rowing their rowing canoes/kayaks/long row boat things.

2. Goulash soup is essentially the same thing as beef stew and Icelandic meat soup! All with their own different spin on things but pretty much the same thing.

3. 130 kph is the max posted speed limit in Germany. (YOU SHOULD FOLLOW IT. After the fact, I got some speeding tickets for driving just a TAD over the speed limit... WTF.)

4. Surprisingly, there are a lot of free public restrooms in Germany so far. This is actually quite surprising.

5. There seems to be a good amount of American tourists in Heidelberg. I think it may possibly be related to the fact that there is supposedly a U.S. air base located somewhere nearby.

[bestketodiet]

WHAT I EAT IN A DAY | Healthy & Balanced Recipes

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Today I’m sharing a What I Eat in a Day video and some healthy detox friendly recipes I love to eat on a daily basis to feel energized and balanced just in time for the new year!

Green Smoothie Recipes: Leek and Potato Soup: http://bit.ly/2j4Lc5H (one of my most popular recipes!) Banana Bread: http://bit.ly/29tYFR0 (For muffins I divided it into 12 muffin cups lined and baked @ 350 for 15 min) Beauty Detox Salad: http://bit.ly/2kHiGHR (dressing recipe is linked here too!)

Mandoline slicer: http://amzn.to/2En09pJ (very similar one and I love this brand too.) Coffee tumbler: http://amzn.to/2ChSMPN Blender http://bit.ly/2jKpf8r Metal straws: http://amzn.to/2CUODVO Clear water bottle: https://healthnutshop.com/

______________________ Camera & Equipment I use to film my videos: Main Cam: http://amzn.to/2hKquYm Lens: http://amzn.to/2hbG2CS Main Tripod: http://amzn.to/2uGWCgS Vlog Tripod: http://amzn.to/2ftVcEG Microphone: http://amzn.to/2vEZGys Lights: http://amzn.to/2lQTEE1 Light Stands: http://amzn.to/2lQTKeR Hard Drive: http://amzn.to/2CkYZdY

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PO BOX Nikole Goncalves 140 Holland St W PO Box 13055 Bradford, ON Canada L3Z 2Y5

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Hey HealthNuts! I’m Nikole and welcome to the #healthnutfam On my channel I talk about all things Food, health, lifestyle, Food, oh and did I mention food? I post 2-3 times a week on my channel. Recipe Mondays, Wellness Wednesdays and Vlog Fridays. I create videos like: What I Eat in a Day, Meal Prep With Me, Healthy Grocery Hauls, Healthy Recipes, My Morning Routine, Day in the Life and MORE!

Most Popular Videos ↠ What I Eat in a Day at Work • http://bit.ly/2qmkg5c My Spring Cleaning Routine • http://bit.ly/2qgX60h Meal Prep for Beginners • http://bit.ly/2lPoqNA 5 Bento Box Lunch recipes• http://bit.ly/2EQmwVy 3 Healthy Smoothie Recipes • http://bit.ly/2CzYUHv My Fitness Morning Routine: http://bit.ly/2lP37N4

*This video is not sponsored. All opinions expressed are my own. I sometimes receive products for free from brands for consideration but will disclose when videos are sponsored and I am getting paid to talk about the brand/products mentioned. Thank you for support.

Hugs + Smoothies, Nikole xo

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What I Eat in a Day (Vegan) // Easy Healthy Recipes

HEALTHY BREAKFAST IDEAS! EASY AND QUICK FOR BACK TO SCHOOL!

EASY HEALTHY BREAKFAST IDEAS | Simple + Delicious Recipes!

Healthy Bone Broth Recipe | #Homemade

WHAT I EAT VLOG | Healthy & Easy Recipes!

HEALTHY COLLEGE MEALS EVERY STUDENT NEEDS! EASY & QUICK RECIPES!

from Best Keto Diet http://best.ketodietfactorfiction.com/diet-foods/what-i-eat-in-a-day-healthy-balanced-recipes/%20

[lotsofdogs]

‘Twas the Tuesday Before Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Eve is here! Did it creep up on anyone else!? Ryan, Chase and I are off to the airport to pick up my in-laws later this morning and we have a lot of fun stuff and good eatin’ planned while they are in town.

Yesterday blended Thanksgiving prep with usual toddler craziness and began a little later than usual. I opted to sleep in until 6:30 a.m. because I was randomly awake the night before from 1 – 3 a.m. No fun! I was so restless and tossed and turned like crazy until I gave in and ended up reading for nearly two hours. On the bright side I finished All By Myself, Alone and began reading First Family, another political thriller by David Baldacci, which I’m thoroughly enjoying.

My late start to the day meant a quick breakfast was in order before Chase woke up so I fixed myself two over-easy eggs with toast and remembered to snap a pic when I was in the middle of eating.

I swear the minute you get out of the habit of taking food pictures regularly, it’s hard to remember!

Ryan headed off to work as I was eating and I said goodbye to him before sitting down at my computer to finish up yesterday’s Toddler Book Exchange blog post. After publishing the post and checking a few emails, Chase was up and ready for attention. He requested Cheerios for breakfast (he’s obsessed with the new banana nut flavor) and while he ate, I sat with him and we chatted while I sorted through a bunch of recipes I printed off over the weekend and made a giant grocery list to get us through Thanksgiving and the next few days.

Since I’m always curious about what people serve when they have guests in town, I figured I’d give a rundown of our loose menu that I’m hoping will last us through Saturday afternoon when my in-laws head back to Florida. (All recipes I plan to follow are hyperlinked in case you want to check them out!)

Wednesday

Lunch: 1905 Salad + Rotisserie Chicken

Dinner: Lasagna + Garlic Bread + Salad

Dessert: Nothing Bundt Cakes (we’re celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday and chocolate bundt cakes are her favorite)

Thursday (Thanksgiving):

Breakfast: Iowa Girl Eats Breakfast Casserole + Assorted Pastries

Lunch: Sandwiches + Fruit Salad

Thanksgiving Dinner: Turkey + Mashed Potatoes and Gravy + Sweet Potato Casserole + Pineapple Soufflé + Glazed Carrots + My Mom’s Stuffing + Peas + Cranberry Sauce + Cornbread

Dessert: Pumpkin Pie + Blackberry Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream + Pumpkin Custard Pie

Friday:

Breakfast: Easy Deep Dish Quiche + Peanut Butter Baked Steel Cut Oatmeal

Lunch: Thanksgiving Leftovers

Dinner: Out (Likely pizza)

Saturday:

Breakfast: Out (or French Toast Casserole)

Lunch: Thanksgiving Leftovers

Creating a master grocery list made me feel a little more organized going into the next few days so I felt like we had some time to spare for a little fun yesterday morning as well. I had plans to meet up with my friends Lauren and Jess for a boot camp workout while our kids played in childcare and it was a good one! It was a tripod workout we performed in groups of three that targeted our biceps, triceps and shoulders.

Our trainer also surprised us with some pop-up one-minute rounds of full burpees to spike our heart rates, too. Sweaty!

Once my workout was done and I said goodbye and Happy Thanksgiving to my friends, Chase and I made our return to Gymboree. We haven’t been to Gymboree in a while and he had the best time running around one of his favorite places!

After Gymboree playtime, Operation Get Ready for Thanksgiving commenced and we popped into the grocery store and completely overloaded our cart before heading home. (Oh and before you think my child was an angel amid a Thanksgiving grocery shopping  trip that took a solid 45 minutes, peanut M&Ms were most definitely involved. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.) We arrived home, unloaded the groceries and played in the backyard with Sadie for about 30 minutes until Chase’s attitude told me it was clearly naptime.

While he slept, I showered, made myself lunch and picked up the Stitch Fix box that was waiting for me on our doorstep.

I haven’t had the chance to try anything on yet but from the look of the box, it’s going to be a winner! My stylist listened to my requests for comfy, casual apparel and everything looks cozy and functional but still very cute.

I hope there are a few keepers in there! (Quick reminder: Stitch Fix is waiving their styling fee for the next 30 days so if you want to try it for FREE, now is the time!)

After sorting through my Stitch Fix delivery, I went into overdrive mode and worked for two hours before doing my best to check off other to-dos centered around preparing for our guests’ arrival (laundry, cleaning, etc.). Chase thankfully slept like a CHAMP which was awesome since his naps have been very hit or miss lately and when he woke up, we ate a snack and read some books together before he “helped” with a little bit of food prep for the next few days. 

(Yes, I taught Chase the magic that is an orange peel smile yesterday.)

We stayed close to home for the rest of the day, coloring, playing outside and reading before Ryan arrived home from work and we dug into an easy dinner of chicken, roasted acorn squash and apple slices.

A few more last-minute chores and more playtime with Chase ensued before bedtime and I passed out before 10 p.m. after reading a little bit more of my book. I really hope you guys have a fantastic Thanksgiving and travel safe if you’ll be out of town for your celebration!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for YOU!

[Read More ...] https://www.pbfingers.com/twas-the-tuesday-before-thanksgiving/

[annoyingcherryblossomnight-blog1]

Campervan Journey Hints And Ideas

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Some Brisbane residences such because the Southbank holiday residences are particularly suited to quick term visitors. Before getting a visa, ensure that your current passport is valid for a minimum of 6 months from the date of your departure, to stop you from being barred by Immigration officers, as well as put together your passport necessities in advance together with your local or international carrier when booking for a flight to the Land Down Underneath. Vacationers generally have change into extra discerning, have more journey experience, and have come to take pleasure in the advantages of cheaper, more convenient transport and other technological advances. An excellent description of The Beach Club is that it's sophisticated but completely unpretentious, with quite superb yet very understated and discreet service from all of the extraordinarily effective employees. It is usually a good time to get pleasure from solar bathing and or go for a swim at a close-by seaside. Australia has a terrific choice of casinos each in a novel setting which may only be skilled in Australia. With its maritime history and architectural conservation, Fremantle is a place you can uncover both the past and the present. Moreover, you have to have no youngsters and your purpose of go to in Australia should not be for education or economic causes but for journey alone. That is additionally an awesome place to do your morning jog or exercise. In case of an ETA, guests aren't required to submit their application to the Australian Visa Office and neither is there any stamp or label on their passports. Nevertheless, due to the chilly climate circumstances and considerably bleak business, winters present larger chances of netting low cost airfares on financial system as well as first and enterprise class flights to southern Australia. Unfortunately no-one can predict when these accidents will occur or the severity of them once they do. The only thing to do is to have a top quality travel insurance coverage coverage. Climbing for one, some wonderful landscapes to see, seashores (utterly free), fancy dress events (make your personal costumes totally free), museums are often also free entry (including the amazing Battle Memorial in Canberra), as is strolling throughout Sydney Harbour Bridge. To be eligible, you should be between the ages of eighteen to thirty years old, should have a sound passport in an accredited nation, will need to have a return ticket or be capable of show that you've enough funds to buy one and to cowl bills throughout the first a part of your keep. From the big metropolis lights of Crown on line casino Melbourne of Sky city Sydney, or the boutique and tropical charms of Darwin's Lasseter's casino or the improbable Cairns Reef on line casino complex, a Casino trip in Australia will impress even probably the most seasoned international traveller. If terra firma is extra your speed, you may thoroughly take pleasure in lunching at the prime of the Sydney Tower as you "safely" study the breathtaking views of the city from this unique revolving restaurant. However, that is helpful because it can provide help to get only the type of coverage you need and need rather than having an excessive amount of. For a small cost of a once only premium you can obtain a care free vacation knowing that no matter your adventures or accidents because of them, you may have coated off these risks with a sound insurance policy. Wherever you go, it is possible for you to to find lodging. The hearth warden also has several different essential jobs, together with guaranteeing that regular fire drills are carried out within the office, that each one fireplace preventing tools is clearly marked, accessible and identified by employees and different duties. Avoid locations where animals or cattle drink. Step one to hiring a camper is to search out companions you wish to share the cost and expertise with. The Sydney Aquarium gives the power to view sharks at close hand and uncover a wide range of fishes from all over Australia such because the now famous Nemo clownfish. What is not mentioned is that they stopped utilizing it as soon as they discovered that it was rather a lot cheaper to ship folks off to Eire and simply steal their potatoes till the Irish acquired so depressed that they emigrated to America and have become crooked cops. Many individuals the world over enjoy their wine. There's just so much to see and do here that when you come to travel Australia you will never have sufficient time to see all of it. Since you possibly can shop for travel insurance coverage online, it solely takes a few minutes to get an idea of the cost for the service. Get right off the crushed monitor and uncover a number of the most spectacular natural surroundings within the Prime End with a four-wheel drive expedition via the Gregory and Keep River national parks within the Victoria River area Yup, there WILL be crocs in right here.... For instance, a one-day trip to the Great Barrier Reef can price 230 AUD while a two-night crusing trip across the Whitsunday Islands can cost upwards of 540 AUD. Off peak times in the course of the center of the week, like Tuesdays and Wednesdays, are a great time to achieve discount airline tickets.

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Planning for studio shoot + Equipment list

Food

spinach

mixed leaf salad 

avocado

cucumber 

tomatoes

onions

mint leaves

carrots

baby potatoes

garlic

kale

peppers

lemons and limes

blueberries

bananas 

coconut flakes 

green tea

Props

x2 bowls

mug with tea spoon

marble slate

mini bread basket

wooden board (large)

picnic jug with x2 cups 

wooden board (small) 

crate with smoothie bottles

tea towels 

Equipment 

reflector 

rx1200 

large softbox 

phase 1 

80mm lens

tripod